Forum Discussion

AJAJ's avatar
AJAJ
Helper IV
1 year ago
Solved

Set up Fabric Netsuite ODBC

Hi there,

Is there a way to connect fabric directly to NS? (without VM?). Im trying to set up connectivity to netsuite source. Need your guidance on the setting up ODBC. Existing set up runs ADF pipeline fine.

 

data engineering
Data Pipeline

6 Replies

  • wardy912's avatar
    wardy912
    Super User
    1 year ago

    Hi AJAJ 

     

     This is AI generated and unverified but I hope it helps:

     

    Microsoft Fabric currently requires a gateway to connect to NetSuite via ODBC. This is because Fabric needs a secure bridge to access external data sources like NetSuite, which are typically hosted outside Azure's internal network.

     

    🧩 Options for Connecting NetSuite to Fabric

    1. ODBC via Gateway

    • Fabric requires a gateway to use ODBC connections
    • You’ll need to install the NetSuite ODBC driver (e.g., from CData or Oracle) on the gateway machine .
    • Set up a DSN (Data Source Name) on that machine.
    • Use Dataflow Gen2 or Copy Activity in ADF to pull data.

    2. Using CData Connect Cloud (No VM Required)

    • CData offers a cloud-to-cloud solution that bypasses the need for a VM or gateway .
    • You connect Fabric to NetSuite via a Virtual SQL Server endpoint exposed by CData.
    • Supports SuiteQL, Saved Searches, and OAuth/Token-based auth.
    • Ideal for live data access and optimized queries.

    3. REST API Integration

    • You can use SuiteTalk REST APIs with ADF or Fabric pipelines.
    • Requires custom logic for pagination, authentication, and schema mapping.
    • REST is more flexible but less performant for large datasets unless optimized.

    🛠️ Setting Up ODBC in Fabric

    Here’s a high-level checklist for setting up ODBC in Microsoft Fabric:

    1. Install ODBC Driver (e.g., CData or Oracle NetSuite driver) on the gateway machine.
    2. Configure DSN with NetSuite credentials and endpoint.
    3. In Fabric Dataflow Gen2:
      • Use the ODBC connector.
      • Choose Basic or Anonymous authentication.
      • Map the DSN and credentials.
    4. In ADF:
      • Create a Self-hosted Integration Runtime.
      • Use the ODBC connector with the DSN and credentials.
      • Define datasets and pipelines using Copy Activity.

    ✅ Best Practices

    • Use incremental refresh if possible, especially for wide NetSuite tables .
    • Start small with your semantic model to avoid performance issues.
    • Consider third-party tools like Stitch or Striim for more scalable ETL workflows.
    • Use Azure Key Vault for storing credentials securely in ADF 
    • AJAJ's avatar
      AJAJ
      Helper IV
      1 year ago

      Thats smart. I was able to make progress per above recommendation and have added more screenshots on another reply of the error. Is there a way to explore more on that error or additional information.

  • v-veshwara-msft's avatar
    v-veshwara-msft
    Community Support
    1 year ago

    Hi AJAJ ,
    Thanks for posting your question in the Fabric Community.
    At this point there is no direct connector to connect Fabric to NetSuite via ODBC without using a gateway. The approach that works in ADF with a self-hosted IR corresponds in Fabric to the on-premises data gateway, where the NetSuite ODBC driver needs to be installed.

     

    Here is a link with a step-by-step process to pull data from NetSuite through ODBC in Dataflow Gen2: Solved: Re: Connecting NetSuite to Microsoft Fabric Lakeho... - Microsoft Fabric Community

     

    There are a couple of related discussions you may want to review:

    Fabric also supports virtual network data gateways. They can be used in Dataflow Gen2, and Data Pipelines depending on your network setup. You can review the details here: Use virtual network data gateways with Dataflow Gen2 and Use virtual network data gateways with Data Pipelines.

    If avoiding an on-premises gateway is a requirement, another option is connecting through NetSuite REST or SOAP APIs using Dataflow Gen2.

    Here is another similar discussions on methods connecting to Netsuite:
    Solved: Netsuite to Power BI live feed - Microsoft Fabric Community

     

    Hope this helps. Please reach out for further assistance.

    Thank you.